Thid: The Fragmented Chronicles
by Late to the Party
Summary: So, Alora, Monty, and Xzar all walk into Sendai's bar - Enclave -... with a Charname. What follows is a disjointed account of a Bipedal Tadpole as seen by its friends. AU.
1. I

**A/N**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the names, characters, setting contained within. Bioware/Black Isle/Interplay does, with the exception of "Thid".**

* * *

Thid

_The Fragmented Chronicles_

I

Delainy didn't understand Itt'Thid. How he talked, how he looked around… he just seemed _odd_. He didn't really talk at all, only gurgled. There were strange stumps around his mouth, with golden rings around them, but unlike most rings, the base was solid. But even though he didn't talk very well, she understood what he was saying. Itt'Thid was an enigma. He didn't seem to like belladonna, history, nature or smalltalk. He didn't care for magic, poetry, song or dance. In fact, she wasn't sure _what_ he liked…

The wolfwere cocked her head to one side. Itt'Thid seemed to be conversing with the strange marked Xzar-mage, but it wasn't a conversation she understood. Xzar was chattering, and Itt'Thid was silent. Nearby, the two halflings, Alora and Montaron seemed to be sharing a similar style of conversation. Alora was talking and Montaron was silent. But despite how grumpy Montaron was, he kept glancing at Alora when he thought no one was looking. It was a very strange group that had come to the island…


	2. II

II

"You must learn to be patient, child!"

A wet gurgle-moan. The wave of stubs where tentacles once grew.

Gorion fixed his ward a hard stare. His ward wandered off, sniffing at the air, and scrunching up his grey face.

—

"Eww, that's gross. Quit that!"

The tall, robed being ignored her, and continued slurping as it went off in its own peculiar shuffling-loping gait.

"Yeah, an' don't you come back neither!" The girl wrinkled her nose. "Slimy mutt-mongering…"

—

"Why Montaron, look, it's…"

"I can see, ye crackbrained…"

"Research! How delightful. It's walking away, Monty!"

"Damn ye–"

—

"Ain't don't want yer type in the Friendly Arm–"

"He's with us, lass."

"What delightful skin you have, such delicate porcelain white…"

"GUARDS!"

—

"Happy-happy, joy-joy, happy-happy, everybody smile– hey, who're you? You look awful glum; try – eww, what's that on your face? You're all grey! Hey now, don't walk away – smile!"

An unrecognisable sound followed.

"Huh? No need to be rude, mister!"

"Oh, look Monty, a child your age–"

"For the last time, I'm no child, blast ye–"

"Hey now, I'm a – why're you lookin' at me like that?"

"Why Montaron, your eyes are wide… did you see a–"

"Shut up, wizard!"

"He's escaping again, Monty!"

"You guys are weird… hey, I'm – wait up!"

—

"Montaron, explain to the nice man we are here to help."

"Oooh, dark haunted mines? Creepy! Sounds like fun!"

"Ye have anyone else offerin' aid?"

Mayor Ghastkill shook his head, resigned.

"Heeeeey! Come back! Gotcha!" Alora announced, triumphant. "Aw, don't look sad; smile!"

A loud gurgle, possibly of protest. The red-headed halfling clung on, and clambered up.

The mayor looked less and less certain.

"Oooh! Can we go to the faire? Can we? It'll be so much fun!"

"Montaron, her voice is unnerving to my–"

"Shaddup, all of ye! I can't hear meself think!"

"Oh, I know what'll help! A sing-a-long! C'mon; I'll start." She cleared her throat, "No, no, that's not the right note – try to get it higher; gurgle up a little, lift your lips, that's right–"


	3. III

III

"BAD DOGGIE! BACK! AWAY FROM – you're not doggies!"

"Hello there! What's got you grumpy? The sun is shining, the birds are singing; can't you be happy too?"

"ARGH! GETITBACK! BAD GERBIL!"

"Hey! I'm no gerbil! I'm Alora–"

"BAD GERBIL!"

"Chattering chipmunks, would ya look at that?"

A low gurgle.

"–THID!"

"Hey, he knows your name! See, we're friends already!"

—

"Monty! Was that you?"

"No, ye – where'd the lass go?"

Xzar shrugged, unconcerned.

Montaron cursed in the direction of the detonation.

—

"Huh? He just blew up! Did ya see it Thid? Did ya? Spontaneously combusted! Boom!" Alora shook her head sadly.

The gurgle was less than interested.

"No need to be that way – oh yeah, you're right; he might have something interesting here. Hey, what's this? Hey, back off, Thid; let me look – quit taking stuff from me. Learn to share! An' lose the frown! No furled brows, only smiles–"

_(...)_

"Ooooh! This is – this is the best day ever! Paints, Thid. You know what this means, don't you?"

He didn't answer.

"SLEEPOVERS AND MAKEOVERS FOR EVERYONE!"

"…Thid? Thid! Come back!"

—

It was a very strange group. Delainy didn't understand them at all. She cocked her head in the direction of the hill caves, and sniffed, but the wind was in the wrong direction. The strangest part was the way Alora used Itt'Thid's pack as a seat and tapped her fingers on his furless head. The little halfling also rubbed an odd smelling ointment on his skin.

She wasn't sure where they would go from here…

—

"I have it Montaron!"

"Ye gods, wizard–"

"Yes, the elf's spellbook… come, Montaron!"


	4. IV

IV

"Of course we'll help! Where's that naughty little cat gone?"

"I can't believe–"

"Where's your sense of _adventure_, Monty?"

"Don't call me 'Monty'!"

"C'mon, it'll be fun! We're doin' good things and helpin' a little girl – don't you want to see her smile?"

Montaron's grumbling was interrupted.

"Montaron, where are yooooou? The rabbits–"

"Oh, here she is." Alora stared sadly at the ginger cat.

The other halfling prodded it with his boot-toe.

"Hey, that's not nice!" Gently, the redheaded halfling gathered the drowned feline up. "I guess… she can at least say goodbye and bury her…" She sniffed slightly.

Montaron rolled his eyes.

—

"Daddy'll just raise her aga- DADDY!"

"Montaron, this child is–"

"Aww, who's a cute fuzzle-wuzzle… HEY! He's walking off again!" Alora gave chase. "Gotcha!" She hugged his spindly legs tightly; Thid bristled at the lead. "Aw c'mon; piggaback rides are fun! See the sun above the trees; don'tcha just wanna smile?"

"Montaron, her voice disturbs my–"

"Shut ye–"

"Peek-a-boo! Guess who!" Her hands covered his unblinking eyes. "Aww! He _likes_ me!" She wiped the slobber from the tentacle stubs from her face. "Gee up, horsie! Hey, last one to the dryad's tree is a – heee, that tickles!"

—

"Illithid," Gorion repeated slowly, standing over the cradle.

"T-Thid!"

"Illithid."

"Itt'Thid."

"Yes, child, Itt'Thid." It would have to do. Not for the first time, he wondered what had possessed him to snatch this particular …child… from the maws of murder. He didn't like to speculate on how it was even possible. What had possessed him to grab this particular bundle of joy?


	5. V

V

"So, I have found you at last. I am Il– where do you think _you're_ going? Come back here!"

—

"Don't you wave your tentacles at me, Mithykil." Sendai folded her arms, a thing she did not often do. "You're not as irreplaceable as you might think."

The Illithid hissed, its tentacles as long as its arms.

"You dare to test me?" Incredulous, the drow stared, then laughed.

Mithykil did not take it well.

"I warned you before about entering my thoughts–" Charcoal skin pulsed ebony, and an onyx ring was twisted.

A short while later, Sendai looked down at the remains of the illithid; powdered ash. She would have to get another one. Compliant servants were in short supply.

—

"Eww! Tadpoles!" Alora exclaimed, staring at the briny pool.

Xzar licked his lips, reaching for them before Montaron stopped him. A brief struggle ensued. Thid stared down at the pool.

"Hey, whatcha thinkin'? Huh? You were a tadpole once? Then we've brought you home! Goody, we can meet your family! Won't that be nice?" Massaging his slimy scalp, the little redhead hugged his octopus-like head. "Smile! Lift those cheeks, c'mon, don't be glum."

Thid looked at the pool, his stumps flickering. The waters rippled and broke.

"Hey, that wasn't nice!" Alora stared. "You killed them!"

"That wasn't nice!" Xzar agreed, for different reasons, then fished a fat one out before Montaron could stop him. There were distinct advantages in the height difference. "Salty." The necromancer announced, dangling it from his fingertips.

"Eww… you're even worse than Thid! Can't believe you _licked_ it!"

"Enough yabbering," Montaron growled; Thid had already begun walking away, Alora chattering to him.

"Why'd you kill them, huh?" She persisted, catching the tentacle stub and tugging it the same way she'd tug an ear. "Oh. But you don't want to – that's not nice!" She tugged harder this time; Thid screwed up his mouth. "I don't care if you're hungry; we're friends! Friends don't want to do that to each other! Yeah, you apologise. Haven't we been together as bestest buddies? Yes, you should be ashamed! That's not nice at all."

Thid gurgled, somewhat mournfully.

"Yeah, I'm mad. But I still love you, Thiddy," Wrapping her arms around his moist head, she hugged and kissed him. "Suck out my brains – what are you? A zombie? Sorry? Then don't ever think that again! Now smile! Atta boy! Chin up, and… yeah, I know you wouldn't really hurt me, it was still a mean thing to say. C'mon, let's go – hey, I wanted to go the other way – Thid!"

Montaron shook his head and muttered under his breath. Xzar was too busy chewing on a tadpole, a strange look on his face. He was muttering too.


	6. VI

VI

"Hmph." Sendai eyed the almost willowy, gaunt figure, her Duergar slaves dispatching their half-sister at the entrance of the tunnels. That she was allied with Illasera didn't make an iota of difference. Her enclave was off-limits without express invitation, and an example had to be set. The drow had already dismissed the cursing elf from her thoughts. Instead, her attention was set on the creature in front of her apparition. She noted that he wasn't an Alhoon, but she already had a lich, and he certainly wasn't an Ulitharid, a so-called 'noble' Illithid… It was the lack of tentacles that really caught her interest; she had never witnessed one without. How could it survive without feeding? Mithykil would often seize his prey from behind, two tentacles coiling around the throat, the other two… it was fascinating and sickening to watch; the victim would struggle, writhing uselessly, and then his mouth would latch on and… Detachment soon overtook revulsion; what was another slave? The slurping unnerved the other slaves, but what did she care? It kept them in line. Punishment for failing.

Perhaps what was most remarkable was this one's lack of slaves and the company it kept. A human, and two halflings? Surfacers. The faintest sneer touched her lips, but it pleased her that this one was not beholden to an elder brain. It could be of use. She would kill it, of course; it was a brother, but in the meantime…

She studied it, and distaste flickered; she had no qualms about killing her siblings. Family was a liability, and a means to an end. It seemed placid for one of its kind; surprising given its heritage. Absently she wondered if it could spawn tadpoles of its own, and what would happen when they were placed with the tadpoles of other races, such as the Sahuagin. It would be an interesting study, had she the time.

Briefly, she considered her forces. Two feral illithid vampires, useful, as they were despised by their own kind, a Hive Mother and Eye Tyrants, Umber Hulks, her pet lich, Captain Egeissag, the kensai, Diaytha the priestess and Ogremoch, an elemental prince of earth. Duergar slaves. She was almost ready. Mithykil had tarried for too long, and her forces had a web of other allegiances, all of which needed breaking. She sniffed the air; even in her private sanctum, she could detect the stench of the Umber Hulks in their pits. She had them mining new tunnels, but it was taking time. She had hoped to implant the Eye Tyrants with illithid tadpoles, along with her Duergar and other, captured slaves. Mithykil was not to be trusted; she wanted these abominations loyal to her.

Opening a portal, she watched her new 'ally' step through. She dismissed Egeissag with barely a glance, and ignored Diaytha's disapproval; how dare the priestess judge _her_? For that, and that alone, she ripped the Piwafwi cloak one of her 'statues' and wrapped it around the newcomer's shoulders. It waggled its stumps at her questioningly; she ignored it, and biting back revulsion, placed her slender hand on its cheek, "Welcome, _brother_," the drow smiled.

"Hey, lady, you've got a pretty smile!"

Why hadn't it made slaves of the surfacers? She considered teaching it the cost of insolence, and thought better of it. The sneer Diaytha wore would have to be addressed; the priestess had overstepped her bounds. It would serve to remind Egeissag of whom he served.

The human had paid no attention and had immediately taken to wandering and examining her statutes, twisting in various ways and peering, murmuring to himself. Her eyes set in a hard line.

"What've ye brought us to this time?" The other halfling growled; Sendai paid him no attention, but watched from the corners of her eyes as Diaytha's distaste grew. Reason enough to let the surfacers live. Exercising her smile, with radiant benevolence, she purred, "Welcome to my enclave. May it be your home as much as mine."

"Oh wow, look at that!" Alora caught sight of the quart-veined ceiling, "It's so pretty! Like a thousand stars."

Sendai wasn't sure why her brother demeaned himself to the status of a rothé, but perhaps the 'castration' of his tentacles had left him broken? Its gaze never blinked, but looked questioningly at the statues. She smiled; there was so much to discuss.

"Egeissag," she commanded, "bring food and drink for our guests."

—

"Oooh! This is tasty! What is it?"

Sendai indulged the chattering with ever decreasing patience, but tolerated it as it openly irked Diaytha. She fixed the priestess a hard look. After a moment, Diaytha folded.

"Hobgoblin." The priestess answered shortly.

"Eww, that's gross…"

"It's rothé," Egeissag smiled at the redhead, ignoring the venomous look.

Good, Sendai decided, pleased by her captain's decision to entertain her guests. He was on the verge of being replaced, his alliance to her 'mother's' house far too strong. The mage, a necromancer, she discovered, was busy scrutinising the bones and sinew of the giant crab's carapace. Delicately, he snapped it and sucked out the meat. The brown-haired halfling was too busy hacking away with his knife to pay much attention, but every time he looked up, he seemed very much aware. Interesting.

"You should smile more; it looks good on you. See how it's nice to make new friends, Thid? Everyone should be happy!"

Her cheerful chirp piped constantly; a cage was needed for the songbird. Oh, but how Diaytha's knuckles whitened. "Perhaps a tour?" Sendai inquired sweetly, smiling down at the little halfling.

"Oh yes, that would be wonderful!"

Such innocence… she turned to Diaytha, murder in the priestess' eyes. "You'll show them around, won't you?"

"…Of course, jabbress."

"What's that mean?" Alora wanted to know, insistent as she was cheerful.

"My lady," Egeissag translated smoothly, not catching Sendai's eye. "Sometimes 'teacher'."

"Oooh, so if you were a queen?"

"We don't have queens," Egeissag explained, then found Diaytha's glance meeting his dangerously. Sendai offered the smallest nod of approval; Diaytha darkened. "We are ruled by matrons. How does the surfacer saying go? 'Mothers know best'."

"That makes sense," Alora nodded sagely, "we have elders too."

Montaron grunted, reaching across the long table and declining conversation. Xvar continued picking at his food, and abruptly joined in, his eyes holding a strange light.

Sendai didn't listen to the babble, but turned to 'Thid'. "How did you come to be amongst surfacers?"

His stubs waved, and he gurgled. A long moan, then a couple of shorter ones. As distaste painted Diaytha, Sendai smiled. "So you're a scholar?"

Another gurgle, his stubs flickering.

"Of course I'd be delighted to share my knowledge with you." Gallantly and with grace, Sendai displayed her benevolence.

"Oh, isn't she nice?" Alora nudged the spindly creature. "I told you making friends was fun."

Diaytha rolled her eyes. Sendai shot her a sharp look. There would be a sacrifice to the Queen of the Demonweb Pits tonight.

Xzar cackling inanely, lost in his own plane. Gurgling, Thid rose and in that odd moving-without-moving, soundlessly skitter-glided away. Even for an illithid, it was strange, Sendai observed. It cared nothing for even surface conventions, seemingly unaware of protocol. It would offend many, but she just smiled as his keeper jumped to her feet and scolded it for its lack of manners. Yes, it was exactly what she needed…

* * *

**A/N: "jabbress" does _not_ mean "my lady" or "teacher".**


	7. VII

VII

Sendai brushed the gold cap with her index figure, its cool, smooth surface crackling with passive magic. It explained so much. The Illithid growled deep in the back of its throat; she smiled, and cupped its cheeks. It soon stilled, but she could tell it was sulking. Males… even for a sexless monstrosity, it was most definitely male. Calmly, she brought her face closer, studying it, and gently laid her kiss on its mouth. It bristled, but did not pull back. Just as gently, she stroked its stubs, familiarising it with her touch. The little halfling was too busy exclaiming at the crystalline wonders of a storeroom, pillaged art and meaningless culture.

The twisted onyx figurines fascinated her in their various shapes and poses; she didn't seem to comprehend what they meant, or the agony painted on their features. It didn't matter, as long as it kept her occupied. Sendai briefly wondered what the brat would say if she learnt that they had once been people, forced into acts of such soulless depravity they begged for death? It hadn't mattered, as she had taken their souls from them and put them in the stones the girl so admired, stones that bedecked her robes as jewels. She had even given the girl one; she would hear its whispers in her dreams. A svirfneblin girl, as she recalled. What was one less pathetic runt? Perhaps they would be 'friends'. Her lips twisted, but she did not laugh; instead, she traced the shape of the octopus-shaped head, caressing it with the pads of her fingers and thumbs.

The Illithid made no attempt to stop her; as she drew nearer, gazed into its eyes and moved to kiss it more deeply, it broke free and wandered off. Sendai watched its back with a smile; there was no violence in it; it had simply lost interest. Her lackeys were disgusted; it _was_ repulsive, its damp slime. What was its tongue like, she wondered, the cavern of its arched mouth? Would it prove immune to her charms, or would their sire's hold prove strong enough to overcome even the Illithid's sexlessness? She looked over its shoulder to where Diaytha stood; the priestess' distain was so clear she could almost taste it. A veiled sneer touched her; Diaytha had been rejected from the 'honour' of producing a Draegloth. The Glabrezu was given another, and Diaytha fell into disfavour. This? She glided to place her hand on the illithid's shoulder. This was nothing. Leaning close, she murmured into what passed for its ear. Sendai laughed softly, musically, as it went on its way, ignoring her. Diaytha met her cold, hard gaze with one of her own.

"It is prepared."

Sendai smiled.

—

Xzar played with the gnolls, making them dance like puppets, lifting their limbs this way and that. Sawing into the odd joint, sewing muscle and sinew together, he joined and dissected them, studying how they worked. That some were alive didn't matter to him; he never really paid attention to it, beyond noting it somewhere in his awareness. This latest batch had been caught and given to him by Egeissag's patrols, not that he remembered the drow captain's name, or his rank.

—

Elsewhere, Montaron was keeping an eye on Alora, or so he told himself and glowered at anyone who came near. Her chattering grated but he couldn't get enough of her voice. He would never admit it, but her sweet, sing-song tone left him weak at the knees. Weak in the head was more like it. Assassins didn't go weak in the knees, especially not the male ones. Even so, he loved to see her smile. It made him scowl.

"Aw, cheer up, Monty!"

"Don't call me that." He grumbled, not really noticing. Her beam was radiant. Her little dress and leggings, her figure, her hair… those dimples…

"Hey, let's do something fun. Wanna play a game?"

"No."

"It's called 'let's make Monty smile!'; you'll feel better for it. C'mon now, take my hands and we take one step right, two steps left…"

He couldn't shake her off. Reluctance, genuine and feigned, left him moving awkwardly.

"And now a twirl! C'mon Monty, you can do it! Spin me around, and then you! One-two-one-two smile!"

Montaron scowled.


	8. VIII

VIII

Thid wandered outside. Through the forest glades, he felt shafts of sunlight fall on his face, saw the bubbling brook and leaves float down it. He walked past it.

—

Sendai looked around in annoyance; she had turned her back for less than an hour, consumed by the ritual to summon the Glabrezu and offering Diaytha to it. The demon snatched the screaming priestess and she had left them to it. Held in the summoning circle, its wards would hold and once the Draegloth was conceived, birthed and had devoured its mother, she would be ready to take on Abazigal. In the meantime, she wanted to examine the cauterising rings on her brother.

—

"That's right, Monty! Gee up! Faster, you can do it! Isn't this fun?" The gnoll races continued. Montaron found himself wondering how he ever ended up here, and banished the sheepish smile by means of a heavy scowl. Their steeds tore round the domed chamber.

—

"I don't care what it takes, find it!" Sendai hissed at Egeissag, her calm pierced only by the tensed muscles in her neck, "It can't have gone far – how did you let it leave your sight?"

Egeissag hesitated, a thing that often meant death in drow society, "He… he just walked."

"And you let it?" Sendai did not scream; she lowered her tone.

The only answer he had was what the guards gave him; "He's always walking…"

Her eyes flared; she refrained from striking him.

"Yes jabbress," Egeissag bowed his head, aware he was on the verge of falling into disfavour.

—

"Hey Monty, if you're bored we can always do something else. It's kinda dark down here, and stuffy. We could always play hide and seek in the forest; we'll be back before tea. Whatdaya say?"

He was going to regret this.

"S'not good for anyone to be cramped up for too long," she nodded, "hey, you go first, I'll get Xzar!"

—

"What do you mean 'they're gone'?"

"We – we can't find them jabbress!" The unfortunate drow, Egeissag's second quivered before the Bhaalspawn.

"You fool!" Her eyes narrowed, "What's that?" She demanded as she heard the sound of scratching.

"Uh…"

"Speak!"

"The – the rivvil left – the gnolls, jabbress, he stitched them together with Umber Hulks and–"

"Go and kill them!" She didn't quite shriek. If she didn't need her forces… She would send the vampiric illithid to track them down, and when she found them… Indignant fury filled her. How dare they? Such incompetence! Its wandering didn't bother her so much as the fools that served her _allowing_ it to leave – and then its slaves! She reached for the tentacle rod; no matter how Egeissag did, there would be a price to pay. And if he failed…


	9. IX

IX

"Hey, it's Thid! Itt'Thid!" Alora waved cheerfully to him, then pouted, "Look at that, Monty, he's ignoring us. Quick, let's catch him; I wanna give him hugs and make him smile."

Montaron darkened.

"Oh don't be such a broodypants," Alora hugged the other halfling on impulse, "we're all friends and friends hug; you should try it sometime."

Despite himself, the pangs of jealousy faded. Scowling, he found himself left with the choice of staying where he was, or chasing after the redhead. Somewhere in the trees, Xzar muttered, wandering aimlessly. The necromancer had found a songbird.

"Gotcha!" Alora's cry caused the mad wizard to cover his ears, startling the songbird. Throwing her arms around the illithid's legs, and promptly clambering up him, she plastered him with chaste kisses; his stubs wrinkled. Montaron's scowl deepened. "C'mon, Monty!" She called, waving to him, "Thid's big enough for both of us!"

The brown-haired halfling obstinately vowed not to use another for a climbing frame for as long as he lived. Her warmth glow melted his resolve, but rather than the illithid, he pushed through the scrub to Xzar, grabbed him by the sleeve and led him. Alora was already perched on Thid's shoulder and attaching the lead to the illithid's collar, a sparkling collar with a lovely black ring she herself had placed there. Not for the first time Montaron wondered about attaching a similar collar to Xzar. As the wizard got distracted, his keeper had to physically drag him; Alora was already in the lead, urging them to catch up. With a glare, he kicked the wizard's knee out from behind, and hating himself as Xzar crumpled, mounted him.

"Whee! This is such fun! Hugs and smiles for everyone! C'mon Monty! Faster, Thid, faster! Whoo!"

Montaron hated his life.

—

"Jabbress, they're tearing through the enclave! We can't hold them! They've slaughtered the Eye Tyrants!"

"They're _gnolls_, you fools!" Sendai felt like screaming. How could this happen?

"They've done something to the Umber Hulks – we can't contain – Jabbress!" The drow screamed, crumpling as a mutated abomination tore his head off; irritably, Sendai murmured the death spell. The gnoll exploded as its soul left it; she barely noticed it wore three faces, none of them on its head, and its shoulders were that of an Umber Hulk.

Everything was going wrong; the Duergar were rebelling, the vampiric illithid were loose and feeding randomly on her lackeys and her lich was nowhere to be found; she wheeled around. The Glabrezu was in the entrance.

"What do _you_ want?" Sendai demanded, then the dread realisation that the demon was free struck her. How had it gotten loose? Reaching for her ring, she found to her horror, it was missing. "No…"

The Glabrezu laughed inhumanely, Diaytha's arm between its claws.

"_I_ summoned you – _I_ control you," She stepped back. "we can negotiate… I can–"

The fiend advanced. Something cold pressed against her back; her onyx statue. The Glabrezu raised its huge claw, dwarfing her; opening her mouth, she finally allowed herself to scream. It was short lived. The demon seized her. The tentacle rod slipped from her fingers.


	10. X

X

"Where to now?" Alora wanted to know, "Ooh, ooh, I know! Let's go see Delainy again–"

Montaron growled as Thid gurgled. At least he had finally found a use for the mad mage; the brown-haired halfling kicked him hard with his heels. Xzar moaned; his rider ignored it.

"Great idea Monty! Race time! Then hugs and kisses and lunch! Gee up, Thiddy! You can beat that mean ole mage! I'm gonna make you smile yet! Turn that frown upside down, Monty! No one likes a sore loser! Go Thid, go! He's gaining on us… hey, no using magic; that's cheating! Bad Thid! Whee! Isn't this fun?"


End file.
